The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[tmoney438]

I have a somewhat random question. I am in the research phase of starting a flock. Looking forward to raising open range natural birds. I was curious how far chickens roam from thier house. My neighbors are about a football field away and I'm just curious if they will wander that far or not? Any input will be appreciated and thanks for the thread!

 

[aoxa]

I have a somewhat random question. I am in the research phase of starting a flock. Looking forward to raising open range natural birds. I was curious how far chickens roam from thier house. My neighbors are about a football field away and I'm just curious if they will wander that far or not? Any input will be appreciated and thanks for the thread!

Some breeds roam farther than others. Some individual chickens within a breed range farther than others in a breed.

Mine never ranged further than 2 acres - even given the choice. They probably would go further if you didn't free feed like I did last summer. I will not be free feeding this summer - so we'll see how that goes.

I'm guessing your chickens will range that far away. A foot ball field is how big? Under an acre or just about an acre... So I'd say chances are they would.. Unless you got something like cochins or silkies. They don't seem to go far at all.

 

[aoxa]

Nice sized barn! I will be lucky if I can afford to make a coop/safe run as big as the end left one! And will have to see about getting electric to it. My three RIR are choosing to stay in the plastic wind barrier coop porch this morning. Jumping down only if they see me coming with some greens. But aren't staying out but a minute or two. Yesterday was so nice they didn't want back in.

It's actually a bit smaller than my previous barn if you include the upstairs before.

I think it's much more organized though. I like the lay out But I created it so I should like it

 

[Ashdoes]

I have a somewhat random question. I am in the research phase of starting a flock. Looking forward to raising open range natural birds. I was curious how far chickens roam from thier house. My neighbors are about a football field away and I'm just curious if they will wander that far or not? Any input will be appreciated and thanks for the thread!

Our fenced in back yard is an acre, and I rarely see mine all the way on the opposite side of their barn. They seem to have favorite spots, and that'll be where you find them most times....you just have to hope their fav spot isn't a bad spot for you.

 

[aoxa]

Our fenced in back yard is an acre, and I rarely see mine all the way on the opposite side of their barn. They seem to have favorite spots, and that'll be where you find them most times....you just have to hope their fav spot isn't a bad spot for you.

.. like your deck or your patio.. or your car.

all of which my birds have frequented.

 

[Ashdoes]

Ash..I sure hope you do not feel you have to worry about that here.
Please contribute..you have high value..do not let someone stop you from sharing that value.

This thread is always wonderful, it's the first place I come to while having my morning coffee.

 

[Shan30]

Husband checked Annabelle (Broody) this morning. Still no peeps, squeaks or cheeps
Could something have gone wrong? I know she gathered some more eggs over the first few days but thought the first ones would have started hatching. I know I should have marked them all but well I diddn't. It's only day 22/23 dependig on how you calculate it. She's starting to look pretty beat. How long should I continue to let her sit? I feel like a bad grandma.

On side note, I have two dark Cornish in quarantine right now. Was told they were laying, it's been 2 weeks, no eggs. Pretty birds but I kinda wanted to breed them for some meat birds.

 

[countrygirl74]

If it is totally secure, you can leave the coop door open for them but....
- .I can't tell from your picture what the fencing is. If it is chicken wire, that won't be strong enough. If it is fencing, how large are the openings of the fencing/mesh/whatever it is?
- not sure how the fencing is fastened to the posts - could a coon rip it off?
- Not sure if the "ceiling" of the run will support full grown coons, assuming you have those in your neck of the woods ( is there anywhere free of coons?)
- how about critters digging under?


You might scan the predators threads to see how predators have accessed other people's chickens. Everyone has local predators, whether they are fox, bear, coyote, coons, weasels, mink, dogs, dogs, dogs, hawks, owls,.....I'm sure I'm forgetting some! oh yeah, skunks. Those are the ones I have in my area. Anyway, figure out what yours are and then for each of them, see now they could or couldn't get into the run or coop.

X2 - I guess I would just ask how strong and can something dig? I don't have to really worry about either of those because I have two dogs that don't allow anything to live once it crosses into our fence. That said, our dogs would also kill the chickens and ducks if they were out running around, but they don't try to get through our run and they don't try to dig either. The most they do is bark at them when mating is going on because there's all this commotion in the coop - LOL. One of our dogs got 3 big skunks last summer and somehow did it without getting sprayed! If I didn't have them, I would re-think my run more as I would be worried about something digging. We do have raccoons in the area (about 20 miles away) but I've NEVER seen one here - we are out on the prairie and they stick to the more city area, away from us, where there is trees, rocks, and a creek. My biggest threat I think is hawks, skunks, and coyotes.Oh, and snakes - which is why I did hardware cloth on the bottom just in case a snake snuck past my dogs, which I doubt because half the time I am rescuing king snakes from them and letting them go across the street into the field. I love having the king snakes around because they kill the rattlers. I have the top secure from hawks - which you really have to make sure! I'm amazed about how many friends of mine had hawks get in and then couldn't find their way out. I did not dig down and place fencing underground to deter diggers but I might consider that too if I didn't have the dogs. I don't have opossums, weasels, or other strange creatures that can find little holes and get in so I'm glad about that! I feel sorry for people that have to deal with bears! Yikes!

 

[Mumsy]

Cold out and raining off and on. Moved the HRIR shipped chicks to a pen in the barn. Every chick on the place is chirping loudly from all the activity and stress of the move. I use a long handled aquarium fish net. I can swoop and scoop with no damage and stampeding is kept to a minimum.

In order of youngest chicks first:



HRIR Fogle line chick eight days.



Catdance Porcelain Silkie chick twenty days.



Johnny chick hatched by Judy the Broody twenty five days old.




HRIR shipped Fogle chick twenty eight days old.

It is interesting to me that the oldest HRIR chicks still under heat are slower to feather out but are more compact and have more substance than the Johnny chicks that free range with the broody hen. The free range Johnny chicks are much rangier, narrow, and wilder than the brooder raised HRIR chicks too. None of the chicks were happy to be handled out in the cold and rain.

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Question on broody hens and eggs;
How many days after a hatch are remaining eggs still viable? The majority of the chicks, 7, hatched around Wednesday, April 4th. They are all healthy, chirpy and bouncy. 2 eggs remain unhatched. One has a pip (?) in the shell...not on the end. The other has nothing, no cracks, nothing. The broody is still sitting close on them seems like, although she did get off today to stretch and poop.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.